Tamper Evident Packaging

ABSTRACT

A recloseable package that has means to show if the package has been previously opened by another, thereby reducing the chance of product tampering. This tamper evident package has a separable lid or tray and bowl, and possess at least two means to securely reattach said lid to said bowl after the consumer has opened the package. Emphasis is placed upon the reduction or elimination of the possible safety hazards involving exposed sharp plastic perforated edges by having the tamper evident means internally located using natural plastic biases to cover as much of the perforation as possible. Container contains a periphery edge on the lid that is submerged to prevent access through any other means other than the tamper evident seal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is to be used principally in the consumer retailenvironment where the consumer requires evidence that the packaging hasnot been previously opened or tampered with, indicating a potentialbreach of security.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

This invention is to be used principally in the consumer retailenvironment where the consumer and retailer requires evidence that thepackaging has not been previously opened or tampered with, indicating apotential breach of security. A tampered packaged will allow for theconsumer to see if the packaging has been breached and the contentscompromised, such as screws pilfered from a package. But this breach ofsafety is especially critical in consumer food departments. As theconsumer has demanded foods that can been seen through the packaging toconfirm it's freshness and desirability, the food industry has adapteditself towards transparent plastic containers that are recyclable.Retail purchasers also demand that food is safely handled in thedistribution and marketing of their produce and the industry hasresponded with packaging that shows evidence that the packaging has beenopened or tampered with, thereby notifying the consumer that food safetyhas been compromised. The concept of tamper evident packaging isrequired for certain classes of OTC (Over The Counter) drugs andmedications by the Food and Drug Administration, each manufacturer andpacker who packages an OTC drug product for retail sale is required topackage the product in a tamper-evident package, if this product isaccessible to the public while held for sale. A tamper-evident packageis defined as one having one or more indicators or barriers to entrywhich, if breached or missing, said breach can reasonably be expected toprovide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred. Toreduce the likelihood of successful tampering and to increase thelikelihood that consumers will discover if a product has been tamperedwith, the package is required to be distinctive by design or by the useof one or more indicators or barriers to entry that employ anidentifying characteristic (e.g., a pattern, name, registered trademark,logo, or picture). Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the Food Safety ModernizationAct works with a wide range of public and private industries, to build anew system of food safety oversight—one focused on applying, morecomprehensively than ever, the best available science and good commonsense to prevent the problems that can make people sick. The Actrequires that the processors have written plans that identify hazards,specify the steps that will be put in place to minimize or prevent thosehazards, identify monitoring procedures and record monitoring resultsand specify what actions will be taken to correct problems that arise.Proper handling and packaging will protect the consumer, but theindustry has seen that additional steps are needed to insure theirproduce while in the possession of the final seller of the goods.

The basic design of this tamper evident tray contains a bowl section anda lid section, wherein the bowl section circular or quadrilateral innature and the lid section matches the bowl in shape and either issubliminal to or externally envelops the open end of said bowl section.The word “bowl” is used in this application to define the portionopposite of the lid. This does not limit the relationship to a lid beingon top of a bowl, as there are applications, such as in the bakerydepartment, where the lid is the lowest portion and the bowl or dome isthe upper portion. Most of the lid sections are separate entities, butan embodiment of this invention has the lid being attached to the bodythrough a “living hinge”, a term describing a thin flexure bearing madefrom the same material as the two rigid pieces it connects, creating asingle lid and bowl combination. The living hinge concept does preventthe misplacement of the lid during use.

Tamper resistant and tamper evident can be combined into a singleapplication or can be separate. This application focuses on tamperevident packaging which is where a package when tampered with, meaningthat unauthorized access into the contents of the packages has occurred,that the consumer and retailer can observe an easily detectable sign orfeature to see that that package has been tampered. Tamper evident sealsare nothing new and have existed since the days when the King would foldand seal his communications and orders with wax marked by the King'ssignet ring. Today, many products come with shrink bands around theopenings to deter and to detect tampering but shrink bands are expensiveand their application requires a large investment in machinery andlabor.

The prior art is replete with examples of how manufactures haveincorporated instrumentalities in order to warn the consumer that thetray has been opened by another and possibly tampered. There are twobasic classes of instrumentalities found; 1) a consumer externallymounted or accessed removable disposable frangible tab or strip and 2) afrangible tear strip or perforated that is actually a part of either thebowl or lid or both. It needs to be disclosed that most of the packagingdiscussed in this application and prior art involve the style of clearor transparent packaging used in the retail environment where theconsumer is able to see into the package and examine its contents priorto purchase. These packages are principally made from PE (polyethylene),PS (Polystyrene), PLA (Polylactic acid), PP (polypropylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which in itsamorphous or semi-crystalline state are naturally transparent, or otherthermoformed or thermoset plastics. This type of plastic is chosen forits basic chemical compatibility, clarity, stiffness and recyclability,which is a major consideration with the consumer. The thickness of thepackaging is directly related to the stiffness or rigidity of thepackaging required for the application.

As for the class of tamper evident package where there is a separable ordisposable tab or strip that is externally mounted, U.S. Pat. No.7,118,003 issued to Sellari et al on Oct. 10, 2006 (continued in U.S.Pat. No. 7,073,680, issued to Boback et al on Jul. 11, 2006) is a primeexample. Here the consumer must remove a strip that is delimited by twoparallel score lines. The consumer once having removed the strip graspsthe lid of the tray along one of the parallel score lines as seen inFIG. 12 to remove the lid from the tray. The lid is configured so thatthere are no external edges available for one to remove the lid from thetray except by removing the strip as the flange which the external edgeof the lid sits upon, is within a recess on the bowl. This requires aclose fit between the exterior edge of the lid and the flange of thebowl. In this manner, the living hinge is destroyed by the removal ofthe strip and the bowl and lid are essentially two pieces, and as thelid was configured without external edges, the score edges are the onlyway to unseal or open the package. There are many issues with the use ofthis style of packaging, including the disposal issues of the “ripped”strip and the fact that the user must use a razor sharp corrugated orescalloped style edge (as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15) as the means foropening the container. This danger is present due to the fact that thearea that is being ripped is thicker than the rest of the package as itneeds to withstand the forces of separation and the plastic that isexposed is very stiff and sharp. Patent '680 (ibid) attempts to mitigatethe users being subjected to this razor sharp edge with the use of“patterned sections on opposing tabs” but the sharp edges still existand the disposal issues are still prevalent.

Another style of tamper evident packaging involving a strip is the stylewhere the strip encompasses the entire package, such as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,307,948 issued to Blackburn et al on May 3, 1994, wherethe frangible strip bars access to the lid portion until the strip isremoved completely. This style works on smaller circular packaging andcreates the similar issues with disposal and the presence of a sharpdemarcation or separation line.

In the style of the removable strip, is the removal tab that performsthe same basic function of the strip, as the consumer is required toremove a tab that is usually integrated into the top and bottom or lidand bowl sections of the package, removal of said tab allowing for theuser to gain access into the package and to provide a positiveindication that once the tab is removed, the package has been tampered.This style is highlighted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,105 issued to Foos onAug. 4, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 8,123,064 issued to Vovan issued on Feb. 28,2012 and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,531 issued to Parikh et al on May 29,2012. All patents exhibit a tab which must be broken or removed to openthe package. The same issues regarding disposal (Pat '105) and thesharpness of the edges of the plastic opening area are still prevalent.Parikh discloses a tab that can remain attached to package on side asthe “blocking member” can be relocated back to the “blocking position”.This presents an issue as to whether the user will be able to observequickly that the package has evidence of tampering and should the userremove the tab completely, the user is faced with exterior sharp edgeswhere the tab was present previous to its removal and the associateddisposal problems as well. Patent '064 combines a tear-open barrier anda tab to signify tampering or previous use of the product after theinitial load. One embodiment of the Patent '064 discloses that theyuniquely provide a slot through which the lip slips through and locatesitself under the tab, providing a semi-hinge and an apparatus thatprevents the removal of the lid from the body, but the raw corners fromthe breakaway tab are still externally located awaiting to pierce theusers' fingers.

The prior art that discloses an internal zone of deformation to signifytampering is typified in U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,776 issued to Vovan et alon Dec. 15, 2009 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,636 issued to Huffer on Sep. 4,2012. Both patents have an external tab or flange that is not destroyedor removed to show tampering thereby eliminating the disposal issues.But neither of the patents have eliminated the issue regarding theexposing of sharp plastic edges ripped from a perforated line. Both ofthese patents, where the tear line is internal to the package use someform of adhesive in the construction of the packaging. This highlightsthe detriment of only being a single use application and the need to useand apply a substance to the container increasing manufacturing time andefforts thereby increasing costs and by the introduction of non-plasticcomponents to the container causes contamination that might precludetheir recyclability in later processes.

It is obvious that there is a compelling need to have evidence oftampering on food containers, either through compliance with governmentregulations or through the demands of the consumer. The consumer demandto be able to see and evaluate the quality of the products inside of thecontainer also extends to being able to see if the packaging has beenopened by another, thereby possibly tampering with the product inside ofthe container. The industry has met this challenge in two basic manners,but both tact's are fraught with dangers and possible interference withone of the basic premise of the packaging; that it be recyclable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the goal of this invention to create a device thathas the aforementioned characteristics of simplicity, protection,adaptability to current uses and safety. It is an object of thisinvention to create a device that will protect the consumer fromintentionally created hard sharp edges of containers created by thetamper evident means incorporated in prior art designs.

It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident containerthat allows for the consumer to observe the contents of the containerwhile providing a means to determine whether the container has beenopened or tampered by another.

It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident containerthat has a tamper evident means that does not expose to the consumerwith sharp external edges or other sharp points along the container.

It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident containerwhere the means used to warn the consumer of tampering does not separatefrom the container thereby creating a disposal issue, including theembodiment of the invention, whereby the lid and the bowl are integrallyattached to one another.

It is another object of this invention to create a tamper evident meansthat can take into consideration the relative strength of the targetuser of the tray.

It is another object of this invention to create a tamper evidentcontainer that is reusable allowing the consumer to open and reseal thecontainer multiple times.

It would also be desirous that this container be stackable wherebymultiple containers can nest providing a more secure interface betweenstacking containers and while being stacked, that there is an area wherea label can be attached and protected from marring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1, the container is shown with the lid attached to the bowlsection of the container, from a top elevation.

In FIG. 2, the container is shown with the lid attached to the bowlsection of the container from a top oblique view.

In FIG. 3, the container is shown with the lid removed from the bowlsection of the container, from a top elevation.

In FIG. 4, the container is shown with the lid removed from the bowlsection of the container from a top oblique view.

In FIG. 5, the container is shown from a side elevation with the lidseparated from the bowl section of the container.

In FIG. 6, the container is shown from a side elevation in across-section view from FIG. 5 with the lid separated from the bowlsection of the container, detailing the interface between the lid andbowl sections.

In FIG. 7, an upper oblique view is shown where the detail of the tamperevident button tab is shown.

In FIG. 8, the tamper evident button tab is shown in a detail view fromFIG. 7.

In FIG. 9, the tamper evident button tab section is shown in a close-upside elevation view.

In FIG. 10, the tamper evident button tab section from FIG. 9, is shownin a cross-section view.

In FIG. 11, an automation of the removal of the tab and breaking of thetamper evident button and perforation strip is detailed.

In FIG. 12, two different embodiments of this invention are shown in oneapplication from a upper oblique elevation—one of the embodimentscontains a living hinge concept and the other separate embodiment is atamper evident button which detaches completely to show the evidence oftampering.

In FIG. 13, the embodiment of the living hinge is shown in greaterdetail from FIG. 12.

In FIG. 14, the embodiment of the tear-away button is shown in greaterdetail from FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows container 1, assembled in a top elevation. Though thecontainer is shown in a rhombus configuration, there is no limitation asto the shape of the bowl and lid sections of the container. Theapplicant has already confirmed that this invention can be applied ontocircular and polygonally related containers that have the samecharacteristics and advantages of the disclosed design. This applicationshall focus and provide disclosure on a container defined as aparallelogram with rounded or filleted corners.

Container 1 consists of two separable parts; lid 100 and bowl 200. Lid100 has a principally flat central surface area 104 that is surroundedabout its' parameter by the sealing means 110. Unique to this inventionis the incorporation of tamper evident tab 120 which is located at oneof the intersections of two adjacent sides of lid 100 and acorresponding tamper projection 231 of bowl 200 is located oppositelyrelated to tab 120 and where tab 120 can be engagably connected to tabto recess 230 of projection 231. In other configurations, the tab 120can be located along any particular side regardless of the location ofthe intersection of the sides or along the circumference of a circularconfiguration so long as projection 231 capable of being locationdirectly opposite of said tab 120. In this basic design being disclosed,lid 100 is located superior to bowl 200. Other configurations of thisinvention can have bowl 200 superior related to lid 100, such as indomed bowls used in the bakery department to display cakes. In thisdisclosure, tab 120 is located at the vertex of the intersection of twoadjacent sides and has the outer contour 122 matching the outer contourof container bowl 200. Tab 120 contains detented tamper button 103,tamper strip 102 and gripping enhancement means 101, where said means101 are shown in this disclosure as a series of protruding ribscoinciding to the exterior shape of tab 120. Gripping enhancement means101 increase the surface area and breaks the smoothness of the slickplastic tab, whereby the user is able to obtain a more secure grip orgrasp upon said tab 120. The interior edge of tab 120 coincides withshape of lid 100.

FIG. 2 shows the container 1 in an lower oblique view where bowl 200 isseen where external or upper perimeter ridge 203 defines the shape ofthe bowl which closely follows the shape of lid 100 and provides thebarrier upon which outer lid flange 105 is perpendicular to, therebycreating a barrier to prevent anyone from being able to access the lidof the container without using the tab 120 portion. In FIG. 2, theexternal perimeter is associated with the uppermost reaches of the bowl,but should the bowl be used as the upper piece in the tray, saidexternal perimeter edge 203 would be the lowestmost portion of saidbowl. For clarity, this disclosure shall be focused on an upwardlyfacing bowl. FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 details the interface between the flange105 of lid 100 onto engagement flange surface area 205 which isgenerally perpendicular to inner surface ridge 204. The fit between theexterior edge of flange 105 and the inner surface ridge 204 is within aclose fit tolerance. FIG. 6 also details another engagement flangesurface area 207 of said bowl which interfaces with secondary flange107. Exterior flange 201 is perpendicular to upper edge profile ridge203 and provides a smooth outer surface upon the consumer will graspupon when grabbing for the container. Exterior flange lip 235 finishesoff flange 201 to prevent any sharp edges. It is critical for the safetyof the user, that raw sharp plastic edges are not present where the usercan be injured. Bowl 200 is defined by a series of stiffening ribs, somewith an external bias 221 and some with an internal bias 220. Thepurpose of the ribs are to stiffen, or provide support to the lateralsides to, the sides of the bowl by increasing the surface area of theplastic in those areas. External ribs 221 are equally spaced abouteither side of internal rib 220 about the perimeter of the bowl.External ribs 221 are located along bowl vertical lateral sides 211 ofbowl 200 and continue their external bias along the lower horizontalsurface 234 creating nest legs or supports 232. The use of the termvertical to describe side 211 is merely to show direction and not todefine the side 211 as vertical as in angle. The draft angle of side 211is predicated upon the optimal draft angle for the size and depth ofbowl 200 along with the thickness of the initial sheet of plastic usedto create the bowl. The horizontal surface 234 contains a centralizedrecessed label surface 213, which is offset through step 212, the depthof step 212 being such as to prevent marring of the label that will beset onto surface 213 when the containers are stacked together. Nestinglegs 232 also enable the containers to be able to stack one uponanother, providing clearance and a perimeter that can be submerged onlid 100 thereby creating a secure engagement between the stackedcontainers. The drawing figures do not include a submerged portion ofthe lid but is an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 details the receiving portion of tamper tab 120. Button 103 oftab 120 is received by button recess 230 which is part of the tamperprojection 231 portion of bowl 200. Projection 231 contains recess 230and access slope 210 and is defined by a break in perimeter ridge 203,said break being defined by inclined wall area 215 as detailed in FIG.9. Access slope 210 is a negatively defined slope sufficient in degreeto allow for the user into again access to tab 120 as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the container where lid 100 is slightlyabove bowl 200 and FIG. 6 is a quadrant cross-section detail of thecross-sectional lines of FIG. 5 and cross-sectional lines drawnperpendicular therethrough. The view in FIG. 6 details the interactionbetween lid 100 and bowl 200. As flange 105 interfaces with surface 205as previously described, reverse lid slant face 106 interfaces with bowlpositive angled face 206, said reverse angle locking the lid down to thebowl. This locking action is one of two means incorporated into thisinvention which secures or locks the lid onto the bowl, separate fromthe action of the tamper evidence button 103. This is an unique qualityof this invention whereby the consumer is able to securely reuse thiscontainer once the tamper evident marking has been sacrificed. Next tothe slant face interface is secondary flange 107 which engages upon bowlflange 107, said flange 107 providing an area wide enough to allow theconsumer to press down upon to engage and secure locking channel 110 tochannel 208. This interference interface between the locking channels ofthe lid and the bowl provides the second means to secure the lid ontothe bowl. Channel walls 108 and 111 with channel bottom 109 are designedso that there is an interference fit into the bowl's channel componentsof vertical walls 208 and 216 with bowl channel bottom of 209. Both thelid and bowl's channel walls are basically parallel to each other andare basically vertical allowing for a draft angle for molding and thechannel bottoms 109/209 touch as the relief wall 219 of the bowl 200comes into contact with lid relief 112 which provides support for thecentral surface area 104, defines the start of the bowl contents areaand also provides structure for when the containers are stacked uponeach other.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the tab corner of FIG. 7 which highlightsthe tamper evident tab in it's location prior to tampering or purposefuldestruction. Button 103 is surrounded by the three sided U shaped orparabolically shaped perforation strip 102. Strip 102 has basically, aparabolic shape which is basically the same shape as tab 120, where therunning sides are basically parallel with a radiused top, said tophaving a similar shape to the exterior edge 122 of tab 120. Theperforation strip 102 terminates prior to the inner tab edge 123 therebyensuring that the perforation strip will not disengage from the tab,eliminating the possibly of detachment causing disposal issue as well asprevent the exposure of the edge of the plastic to the user. As theprior art showed, the elimination of the exposed edge is a critical needand this invention not only has the perforation edge interiorallyrelated to the tamper evident feature but due to the hysteresis of thedisengaged button and perforation strip, the button 103 wants to staynext to the perforated strip area as that was the set the plastic tookduring the heating and molding process. This further protects the userfrom sharp edges as the button actually protects against sharp edgesfrom being exposed. FIGS. 12 and 14 detail an embodiment of thisinvention, whereby perforation strip 102 completely encompasses button103. In this embodiment, the consumer has the evidence of tamperingshown by a disengaged perforation strip, yet button 103 remains firmlyseated in button recess 230, thereby eliminating disposal issues. FIG.10 is a cross-sectional divide of the tab and button areas with the tab120 and button 103 engaged into the recess 230 of tray 200. Button haspositively sloped sides 113 that surround the lower engagable part ofbutton 103. The button disclosed in this application is elliptical inshape as it affords the greatest amount of surface area to engage in thepotentially small tab area. Bowl button recess 230 has negatively slopedwalls to receive the positively sloped sides 113 of button 103. Thefarthest depths of button 103 has defined chamfers 114 leading to ablunt button bottom 115 which matches the contours of the recess 230whereby beveled landings 214 provide a flush landing for button bottom115. FIG. 10 also highlights the affect of the access slope 210 on tab120, allowing the user access to the tab.

FIG. 11 shows an automated view of the consumer removing the tab 120 andexposing the tamper evident button 103 through the tearing of theperforation strip 102. As the consumer lifts tab 120, the perforationswill break prior to the button disengaging from the recess. Theperforations will tear but stop prior to an interior edge, therebypreventing separation of the perforated area completely, eliminatingdisposal issues and eliminating any exterior edges where the consumerwill be harmed.

Though in this disclosure, only a single button tab is disclosed, thisdoes not preclude having more than one tab especially where thecontainer is larger than the one disclosed. It is also evident that witha larger the button, there is a greater surface area to overcome indisengaging the button 103 from button pocket 230 due to it's geometryand interferences. There are cases, especially with the elderly, wherethere is need to diminish the amount of strength required to disengagethe tamper evident button but still show that the buttons have beenpreviously disengaged. The use of a 2 button tamper evident package,where the buttons are shallower and have less of an interference fit,can be created using this same disclosure which accomplishes the objectsof this invention, while creating a package that is more consumerfriendly to those with less strength. The inverse of this concept isalso available in a 2 button style, where larger packaging would require2 full sized buttons with normal depths and interferences as disclosedwould be appropriate for the size and use of the larger container.

An embodiment of this invention is detailed in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 wherebowl 200 and lid 100 are attached via living hinge 250. Lid 100 isattached to living hinge 250 along the upper hinge attachment 255 toflange 105, while bowl lip 235 provides the surface upon which lowerhinge 254 attaches upon. The design of living hinge 250 include an upperstrain relief 251 and a lower strain relief 252 which prevents hingeflat 253 from absorbing all of the stresses of repeated usage by itselfand provides a rotational moment about which the hinge can flexiblyoperate through.

FIG. 14 details another embodiment of the invention. Here the button 103located on tab 120 has a perforation strip 102 which encompasses theentire button 103 rather than allowing for a partial tear, the usercompletely tears the perforation about button 103 in opening thepackage. In contrast to the prior art, the button does not disengagefrom the package and thus the disposal of the button is not an issue,but the consumer has a positive visual evidence as to whether thepackage has been previously opened or tampered with.

This invention herein disclosed and detailed has its application forpackaging where the lid is the top piece that interfaces with a lowerbowl section. This disclosure is not limited to only those applications,as some packaging has a lid that is actually the lower section and thebowl section is the top piece. This style of packaging is referred to as“Dome” packaging and has many applications in the bakery or cakedepartments in retail stores amongst other applications. This inventioncan used in the reverse of the disclosure herein, where the recessedportion used to receive the detented button can be location on the tabportion of the lid and inversely the detented button portion can belocated on the bowl section of the package.

It can be appreciated by those appropriately skilled in the art thatchanges, modifications or embodiments can be made to this inventionwithout departing from the spirit, principles, theories, ideas orconceptions that have been disclosed in the foregoing. It is hereinrecognized that the embodiments disclosed by this description areincluded as part the best mode of practicing this invention, which willbe hereafter described in their full breadth in the claims andequivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recloseable tamper evident containercomprising: i. a bowl portion, defined by a bottom surface along ahorizontal axis, at least one surface wall, describing an interiorcavity to hold product, as one contiguous piece therefrom said bottomsurface, extending upwardly along the vertical axis from said surface,an exterior edge profile that has a “U” shaped downward orientationfacing away from said interior cavity, said exterior “U” shaped edgerunning along the outer perimeter of said bowl, said perimetergeometrically congruent to said bottom surface, having at least oneengagement flange along the horizontal axis, said engagement flangesdefined by a nearly perpendicular boundary wall and a projectionprotruding exteriorly and primarily horizontally from said exterior edgewhere said projection contains a mating surface used by tamper evidentmeans; and, ii. a lid portion, said lid having a central surface is thesame horizontal plane as said bottom surface said central surfacedefined as geometrically congruent to said bottom surface, said lidhaving a defined perimeter area thereabout the entirety of said lidhaving a defined exterior edge, said perimeter area containing at leasttwo securement means where said means secure said lid to said bowl,where the said exterior perimeter edge engages interiorly, and in closefit proximity to, of a said engagement flange of said bowl, this saidengagement flange being located interiorly to said upper edge of saidbowl and where said lid contains a protuberant tab located along saidexterior perimeter edge of said lid where said tab contains tamperevident means and gripping means and whose exterior edge does not extendpast the profile of said upper edge of said bowl portion;
 2. Aresealable tamper evident container as in claim 1 where said lid isseparable from said bowl.
 3. A resealable tamper evident container as inclaim 1 where said tamper evident means comprises i. at least one maledetented button, having side walls projection downwardly from theadjacent surface with increasing draft angle with said walls terminatingwith inwardly facing chaffered walls terminating in a bottom, ii. aperforated score line on a tab, said line shaped as a three sidedparabola, where the two sides terminate at a point prior to an interioredge of said tab, and where said detented button is located interiorallyto said parabolic lines and radiused vertex thereof; iii. at least onefemale recess adaptedly related to the shape and contour of said maledetented button, said recess having reverse rake angle walls coincidingand opposite to said increasing draft angle walls of said buttoncreating an interference fit, where said interference between saidreverse rake angle walls and said draft angle walls is sufficient tocause said perforated score line to perforate completely prior to saidbutton dislocating from said female recess; and iv. a gripping meanslocated upon said tab, said gripping means comprising embossing, knurlsurfaces, protuberances and detented surfaces, said means enhancing thesurface area of the tab thereby decreasing the probability of theconsumers fingers disengaging from said tab during use.
 4. A resealabletamper evident container as in claim 1 where said tamper evident meanscomprises i. at least one male detented button having side wallsprojection downwardly from the adjacent surface with increasing draftangle with said walls terminating with inwardly facing chaffered wallsterminating in a bottom, ii. a perforated score line on a tab, wheresaid line is shaped concentric about the entirety of and is locatedexteriorly to, said button iii. at least one female recess adaptedlyrelated to the shape and contour of said male detented button, saidrecess having reverse rake angle walls coinciding and opposite to saidincreasing draft angle walls of said button creating an interferencefit, where said interference between said reverse rake angle walls andsaid draft angle walls is sufficient to cause said perforated score lineto perforate completely prior to said button dislocating from saidfemale recess; and iv. a gripping means located upon said tab, saidgripping means comprising embossing, knurl surfaces, protuberances anddetented surfaces, said means enhancing the surface area of the tabthereby decreasing the probability of the consumers fingers disengagingfrom said tab during use.
 5. A resealable tamper evident container as inclaim 1 where said securement means of said lid consists of at least 1three sided channel, horizontally biased, which interfaces with aninterference fit with a three sided submerged channel perimeterlylocated about said engagement flange of said bowl and at least onereverse slant face, vertically biased, located proximally with saidperimeter exterior edge of said lid, said reverse slant face interfaceswith a close fit with a positive angled face of said bowl, said positiveangled face located perpendicular to and in close proximity to saidsubmerged channel.
 6. A resealable tamper evident container as in claim1 where said exterior of said projection of said bowl has a relief anglewhich coincides with the location of said gripping means of said tabthereby allowing access to both sides of said tab allowing for thegripping of the said exterior perimeter edge and said gripping means ofsaid tab without interference from said projection of said bowl.
 7. Aresealable tamper evident container as in claim 1 where said bowlsection has at least four strengthening ribs located thereabout exteriorof said bowl said ribs located along the vertical axis of said bowl,where said ribs are located downwardly from said engagement flange,continuing past the length of said surface wall onto said exterior ofsaid bottom surface thereby creating nesting supports.
 8. A recloseabletamper evident container comprising: i. a bowl portion, defined by abottom surface along a horizontal axis, at least one surface wall,describing an interior cavity to hold product, as one contiguous piecetherefrom said bottom surface, extending upwardly along the verticalaxis from said surface, an exterior edge profile that has a “U” shapeddownward orientation facing away from said interior cavity, saidexterior “U” shaped edge running along the outer perimeter of said bowl,said perimeter geometrically congruent to said bottom surface, having atleast one engagement flange along the horizontal axis, said engagementflanges defined by a nearly perpendicular boundary wall and a projectionprotruding exteriorly and primarily horizontally from said exterior edgewhere said projection contains a mating surface used by tamper evidentmeans; and, ii. a lid portion, said lid having a central surface is thesame horizontal plane as said bottom surface said central surfacedefined as geometrically congruent to said bottom surface, said lidhaving a defined perimeter area thereabout the entirety of said lidhaving a defined exterior edge, said perimeter area containing at leasttwo securement means where said means secure said lid to said bowl,where the said exterior perimeter edge engages interiorly, and in closefit proximity to, of a said engagement flange of said bowl, this saidengagement flange being located interiorly to said upper edge of saidbowl and where said lid contains a protuberant tab located along saidexterior perimeter edge of said lid where said tab contains tamperevident means and gripping means and whose exterior edge does not extendpast the profile of said upper edge of said bowl portion;
 9. Aresealable tamper evident container as in claim 8 where said lid ispermanently attached to said bowl by a living hinge.
 10. A resealabletamper evident container as in claim 8 where said tamper evident meanscomprises i. at least one male detented button, having side wallsprojection downwardly from the adjacent surface with increasing draftangle with said walls terminating with inwardly facing chaffered wallsterminating in a bottom, ii. a perforated score line on a tab, said lineshaped as a three sided parabola, where the two sides terminate at apoint prior to an interior edge of said tab, and where said detentedbutton is located interiorally to said parabolic lines and radiusedvertex thereof; iii. at least one female recess adaptedly related to theshape and contour of said male detented button, said recess havingreverse rake angle walls coinciding and opposite to said increasingdraft angle walls of said button creating an interference fit, wheresaid interference between said reverse rake angle walls and said draftangle walls is sufficient to cause said perforated score line toperforate completely prior to said button dislocating from said femalerecess; and iv. a gripping means located upon said tab, said grippingmeans comprising embossing, knurl surfaces, protuberances and detentedsurfaces, said means enhancing the surface area of the tab therebydecreasing the probability of the consumers fingers disengaging fromsaid tab during use.
 11. A resealable tamper evident container as inclaim 8 where said tamper evident means comprises i. at least one maledetented button having side walls projection downwardly from theadjacent surface with increasing draft angle with said walls terminatingwith inwardly facing chaffered walls terminating in a bottom, ii. aperforated score line on a tab, where said line is shaped concentricabout the entirety of and is located exteriorly to, said button iii. atleast one female recess adaptedly related to the shape and contour ofsaid male detented button, said recess having reverse rake angle wallscoinciding and opposite to said increasing draft angle walls of saidbutton creating an interference fit, where said interference betweensaid reverse rake angle walls and said draft angle walls is sufficientto cause said perforated score line to perforate completely prior tosaid button dislocating from said female recess; and iv. a grippingmeans located upon said tab, said gripping means comprising embossing,knurl surfaces, protuberances and detented surfaces, said meansenhancing the surface area of the tab thereby decreasing the probabilityof the consumers fingers disengaging from said tab during use.
 12. Aresealable tamper evident container as in claim 8 where said securementmeans of said lid consists of at least 1 three sided channel,horizontally biased, which interfaces with an interference fit with athree sided submerged channel perimeterly located about said engagementflange of said bowl and at least one reverse slant face, verticallybiased, located proximally with said perimeter exterior edge of saidlid, said reverse slant face interfaces with a close fit with a positiveangled face of said bowl, said positive angled face locatedperpendicular to and in close proximity to said submerged channel.
 13. Aresealable tamper evident container as in claim 8 where said exterior ofsaid projection of said bowl has a relief angle which coincides with thelocation of said gripping means of said tab thereby allowing access toboth sides of said tab allowing for the gripping of the said exteriorperimeter edge and said gripping means of said tab without interferencefrom said projection of said bowl.
 14. A resealable tamper evidentcontainer as in claim 8 where said bowl section has at least fourstrengthening ribs located thereabout exterior of said bowl said ribslocated along the vertical axis of said bowl, where said ribs arelocated downwardly from said engagement flange, continuing past thelength of said surface wall onto said exterior of said bottom surfacethereby creating nesting supports.